old money and gender roles
the ten of pentacles and the status quo
The Ten of Pentacles is often called the card of inheritance. It represents generational wealth, firm foundations, privilege, and what we create for future generations or inherit from previous ones. These inheritances can represent wealth, businesses, property, a strong family unit; but it can also represent physical, mental or spiritual conditions passed down through generations. This is a card that gets along well with pairings like the Hierophant or the Emperor, both representing order, tradition and doing what’s necessary to get the job done. In the Ten of Pentacles, we can see three generations cohabitating in harmony.
An elderly man, the patriarch, rests within a blanket while his children and grandchild stand before him.
The imagery on this card really brings to mind not only traditional gender roles, but also generational gaps. Initially, I want to highlight the mirroring between the patriarch and the grandchild. Both of these figures are at a lower elevation than the couple. I think this highlights how often in our society that children and the elderly are seen as less-than, due to their inability to produce at the rate of adults. Despite the lifetime of experience and wisdom under their belts, we rarely invest in our aging populous or absorb the lessons they’ve learned. In the same breathe, so many are brought up with the mindset that children should be “seen and not heard.” Children are the most vulnerable among us and yet modern society consistently discounts their feelings and experiences- if they ever listen at all.
The couple in the middle of the card is fascinating to me.
I think it’s a great representation of the traditional gender binary that so many of us are raised with. The man has his back turned to both his elder and his child. Though he stands in the archway built by previous generations, he looks past it towards an even greater estate. The woman, however, is in an opposing position, with her body positioned towards the patriarch and her child at her right-hand side. I think this is an excellent example of the disporportionate domestic responsibility that falls on women.
Often times, it is the women within a family that take on the responsibilities of child-rearing, management of the home and caring for the older generation. The man holds a wand, symbolic of his drive and vision. This is where he invests his energy. The woman, in contrast, holds a large pentacle, seemingly redirecting that resource back into her home.
Another similarity worth pointing out is the two white dogs. In the tarot, dogs are symbolic of both our desires, our loyalties and our companions (among other things). It is often said that grandparents and their grandchildren share a bond even more special than that between parent and child. It is said they have a common enemy. With both of their heads slightly tilted and hands stretched out to pet the canines- the patriarch and the child mirror each other’s body language. It is said that the oldest and youngest among us are eerily similar. Children fresh from the other side seem to posses a knowing about them, while the elderly tend to become more liberated and childlike in their later years. Both ends of the pendulum, perfectly in sync.
“The woman, in contrast, holds a large pentacle, seemingly redirecting that resource back into her home.”
As mentioned previously, the Ten of Pentacles is an exceedingly positive card. It can represent stability, a successful progression of business, creating strong traditions for future generations, as well as the benefits and strengths we inherit from our ancestors. Of course, it can also represent the weight and burden that is often passed down and placed on us. Perhaps that’s why the man looks forward. It could be argued that he great expectations to live up to that push him from the sanctuary of the home and out into the world for another conquest. You know how I love to play Devil’s Advocate.
Either way, I like to explore the more nuanced aspects of the cards. There must be life outside of the little white booklet, after all. I hope this breakdown offered you something new to consider about this famous card. I believe that there is so much depth left to be explored in these cards, if only we are brave enough to dig.
How do you feel about the Ten of Pentacles? Did this give you a new perspective? Let me know down below!
